Embrace Blunder-Free Home Lighting Choices

Home lighting, with thought-out consideration, can change the atmosphere of your solace space. Homeowners overlook the importance and the undeniable goodness of circadian rhythm lighting and religiously chant the single mantra: install a row of recessed lighting or use ONE – way too bright –a fluorescent lamp to lighten up an entire room. What happens if one does not discard the myths?

1. Hard-earned bucks lost on electricity bills.
2. Unsightly and inconvenient dark spaces. 

The repercussions & irrevocable implications of ignoring certain lighting considerations can turn out to be disastrous for the household. The two most prominent mistakes people make: 

1. Dim lighting: Looks like a premier of a horror movie. 
2. Too bright: Looks like a clinical setup.

Avoid these mistakes of home lighting if you intend to create a cozy & picture-perfect home interior.

Lighting Fixture – Mismeasured!

Men, the most common & budding – albeit amateur – electricians of the house, make this rookie mistake without an ounce of guilt! No biggie! Simply patting your back, after hanging a tiny chandelier or lamp over your dining table or kitchen countertops, does not cut it, folks! It goes without saying, these spaces need prominent illumination. 

Oh, hold your train of thought, no, the other option is not to open the flood of a light when the requirement is of a modest amount. The good practice is to properly plan & measure the lighting space with respect to fixtures to evade picking the wrong sized one.

Single Light Source 

Installing a single light source leaves darkened nook & crannies. Avoid these mistakes & opt for multiple light sources in a room. Inculcate a balance – do not over impose – between overhead task lights and lower placed ambient and accent/recessed lights until you find a good combination of ideal illumination. 

An Abundance of Recessed Light 

For the starters, multiple recessed lights on your ceiling will not resolve the problem of shadows and dimly-lit hallways. Stop with the abundant installations of downlights, & discard the illusion of more the lights, better the brightness on walls. Beware: Light reflected from the walls is not the only requirement to properly light up the room.

Opting for only installing recessed lights in a room is akin to taking a direct routine to waste money & effort. No matter what, the recessed light keep the areas unfalteringly shadowy. The solution is the combo of recessed lights with the floor, wall lamps, pendants, and chandeliers.

Solo Tasks Light – Uncountable

When you resist moving beyond the concept of circadian rhythm home lighting, you get squinted eyes, blurred visions, & eyestrains. Similar is the case of excessive task lights embedded under the kitchen cabinet or wall sconces installed on a vanity mirror. 

Yes, it is effective in illuminating the surroundings, but, when used in excess, it channels the aura of an over-cluttered room. Opt for task lighting only for suitable spaces.

Thwarting Natural Light

Artificial lighting is incomparable to natural light with respect to the power of illumination, it simply is unparalleled. Bask under the advantages of the sunlight in the day, and leave your windows undraped.

Not only your houseplants will thank you for letting the sunshine in, but your circadian rhythm too will stay stabilized. Were you aware of that irrefutable fact that sunlight has natural sanitizing power? It can eliminate different illnesses from the safe haven of your home.

Vitamin D is the immortality potion. LOL, JK! However, it is a concoction to stay healthy. Do not get me started on the vast benefits of it. It helps in calcium absorption and bone growth. No need to subscribe to a gym membership and drain bucks – no offense to people leisurely going for one. The cherry on the richness of the benefits: it cures the symptoms of the seasonal affective disorder (SAD), – a form of depression that happens due to the changing seasons.

Point Black Avoidance of Calculated Energy

The average American households have 45 light bulbs, according to a renowned study. Add in the fact: Lighting fixtures also consume energy. There is no more room for making the mistake in energy usage. 

Energy-saving light bulbs are the right choice to avoid *bulged eyes* hike in monthly bills. You would think seeing the immense benefits, people would opt for it, right? You would be amazed to know that people still prefer incandescent lights. Shocking! A human mind is a mystery waiting to be solved – To cut the thread, it will take eons to switch from habitual light shopping patterns. 

Incandescent, LED, & CFL

1. Incandescent light bulbs: waste about 90% of the energy in use due to emitting heat.
2.  A LED bulb: same brightness, 75% less energy, and lasts 25x longer.
3. CFL – Compact fluorescent lights: use significantly less energy than incandescent bulbs do, but LED is still the undisputed penchant of energy-saving lights.

Shrug off Small Spaces

Renovating the house is not a piece of cake, it occupies our minds(running errands, fixing the home, purchasing stuff). Hence, we shrug off the lighting requirements of pantries, closets, and larders. Normally, households have a sole overhead light, which unsurprisingly leaves gloomy dark spots. 

A sole overhead light makes it difficult to walk-in & search in the pantry, for it being a too congested space. It’s better to be safe than sorry, take precautions before you are option less & depend on preventions. Complement overhead lighting with under-the-cabinet lights, and LED strip lights and wall scones, & you are good to go.

Conclusion

This undeterred realization saves time. Debunk the myth that home lighting does not go beyond the décor. Truth be told, it reaches the functional values of furnishing. Good lighting ensures greater functionality, visuals, & less energy consumption in your space. The goal is to increase the likelihood of having sufficient lighting throughout the home. Ignoring these mistakes in your home lighting ensures excessive electricity consumption AND topples the unwanted dark spaces. 

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[Post courtesy – Afshan Basher Aly]